Martha's Amazon Store

Saturday, November 27, 2010

How to Make Good French Toast

My French Toast was always inconsistent until I saw a demo on Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show.

You start the night before, by putting your bread out on a rack to get stale. (So your toast doesn't fall apart when you add the egg batter.) The next morning, you mix up your favorite egg batter, Mr. Brown says to use only half and half with eggs, but I use skim milk with egg beaters if on hand. I also make my french toast with reduced calorie bread. Fill a 6 inch cake pan with your egg batter. I like to use this size since it fits my regular bread well. Then dip your bread in, 30 seconds on each side. And put on a cookie rack for two minutes to let the egg mixture seep toward the center. Next cook in your pan. The less you move your toast at this point the better. I lift up a corner to test brownness. When it's brown on both sides, move it to your oven set at 375 Degrees F (to cook the center), and fry the rest of the toast. Alton Brown suggests moving your fried toast to a cookie sheet lined with a cooling rack, but I simply use a Oven Crisper Sheet. By the time the last of my french toast is fried, the first slices are ready to come out of the oven.

In our house Maple Syrup is the only thing we pour on our french toast and waffles.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Deep Fried Turkey Safety

Let's have a safe Thanksgiving.

If you're planning to deep fry your turkey this year, I suggest watching these two short videos first. The second video is from the show that made me an Alton Brown fan.

Deep Fried Turkey Explosion Demo

Deep Fried Turkey Mini-Tutorial

Monday, November 22, 2010

Movie and TV Deals at Amazon

Black Friday Event with savings up to 70% on over 3000 eligible DVDs and Blu-ray discs from 11/22 - 11/29. Movie and TV Deals. If you're interested, bookmark this page and check back often. These deals are changing by the hour!

Black Friday Deals at Amazon

Check out Black Friday Week at Amazon! Be sure to bookmark this page, so you can grab the deal when it comes available.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Holiday Cooking Tip

I love my Brownie Edge Pan. I no longer have to worry about mush in the middle! You get at least two edges on each slice! Another unforeseen benefit turned out to be how easy these brownies were to remove from the pan. I've used my pan for much more than just brownies: cake, rice crispies treats and more. If you bake No Pudge! Fat Free Fudge Brownie Mix, Original, 13.7-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6), you'll need two mixes. I've heard other mixes take just one, but for me it's either No Pudge or from scratch.

This would make a great gift!

Black Friday Starts Early

Save big on HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players, home audio equipment and more from top brands starting on 11/22.

Come back every day to see our latest deals.

Black Friday Deals

Photo Tip - Removing Glass Reflections

Ever try to take a picture through a window and end up with a nasty reflection? That's where the Circular Polarizer comes in. Just screw it to the end of your lens, then rotate it until the reflection disappears. You lens should have the filter thread size printed on the end. Some Point and Shoot Cameras come with an optional accessory called a Lens Adapter Tube which will allow you to attach other lenses, etc. and of course filters.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Travel Tips

This holiday season, airport security will be tighter than ever! Nearly every time, security must open my bag, and then it's up to me to put it all back together. On our last trip, it got easier with packing cubes. All my lose items went into these handy containers, and guard looked at each cube, instead of fingering through all my items.

It's my goal to match my packing cubes colors to my suitcases, to make it easier come packing time.

Once you reach your destination, simply move the cubes to your drawers. No need to worry if the drawers have been cleaned recently.

Another great accessory are Compression Bags, because you can pack a lot of the clothes you don't mind getting wrinkled in a lot less space. At the end of your vacation, these Compression Bags become laundry bags!

With bedbugs on the rise, I suggest adding Bed Bug Spray to your list.




Early Holiday Shopping

Get a Head start with the Early Bird/Gifting/Sci-fi Event

Savings up to 57% on over 3000 eligible DVDs and Blu-ray discs from 11/2 - 11/21

Check it Out!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Wall Street Journal

We've subscribed to the The Wall Street Journal for years. I've always found a lot of fascinating articles, some of the opinion articles contain useful information. For about a year, we've been receiving our issue a day late. When contacting customer service, we learned that due to cancellations of several critical flights, the journal is one day late, and it will remain so until further notice. However, we can still get our issues downloaded on time with our Kindle Wireless Reading Device. It also means fewer trips to the the local recycle bin.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Save the Planet

Back in the 70s, they called it ecology. Today, it's called being green. Just a few ideas to get started.

1. Recycle your newspapers.

2. Instead of buying disposable water, invest in a Brita Purifier and buy some Kleen Kanteens. Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Poly Loop Cap (12-Ounce, Black Eclipse)

3. An idling car emits 20 times pollution than one moving at 32 miles per hour. So, turn off the engine after fifteen seconds.

Photographic Techniques

I like to call myself a photo enthusiast. I've been taking photos for 40 years, so in that time I've picked up a few tips.

1. Be sure to use your LCD screen to proof your pictures as soon as possible. Since your pictures can look great on your two-inch screen, it's a good idea to enlarge them on your screen to make sure they still look good. I've taken many shots that look good, until I enlarge them.

2. Beware of camera shake. I use attach my camera to ThePod, to create sharp pictures. Also, my camera pod is easier to haul around than a tripod. But that's not all I do. I've learned the process of pressing the shutter release will also cause camera shake, so I often use a self-timer. Some cameras have self-timers with more than one delay setting.



3. Back-up your photos in the field. I use a Photosafe II, because I simply insert the memory chip and hit copy. If you want two copies to be on the safe side, you can insert your regular memory chip, then a compact disk and copy from the memory chip to the compact disk!




4. I utilize the scene modes, such as Sunset, Landscape, etc, to make my pictures even better.

5. Use the rule of thirds for composing your shots. Instead of putting your subject in the center, divide your screen into a tic-tac-toe grid, and place your subject at one of the places your lines intersect.

6. Use the built-in frame-assist to line up horizons, buildings, etc. Or, you can use the lcd edges as a guide.

7. Protect yourself by registering your pictures at copyright.gov.